Headlight



1933- A. TOUCHMAN ,92 ,787

HEADLIGHT Filed April 17, 1931 Stun/M 00 Hisxazz der Tazzabm w:

Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to headlights for automobiles and other vehicles and has for its object the provision of means whereby the blinding glare, which is an incident of the use of the ordinary headlights, will be eliminated without detracting from the power of the headlight to illuminate the road in advance of the vehicle. The

invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly defined in the appended claim.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a headlight embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section through the headlight, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section.

The body of the headlight includes the usual back plate 1 and reflector 2 fitted within the back plate and a lens 3 which may be disposed in any convenient manner in advance of the reflector and is usually held to the casing by a clamping ring, indicated at 4. The lens may be of any opproved or preferred design, and at the center of 5 the casing and the reflector is mounted a socket 5 receiving an electric bulb 6 in the usual manner. The glare from a headlight is due to those rays from the lamp which strike the lower portion of the reflector being turned upwardly so that they strike the eyes of an approaching pedestrian or motorist and blind him so that he is not able to clearly see his way, and the result is that disastrous accidents frequently happen. My invention provides means whereby the light rays passing downwardlyfromthelampwill notbe focused or concentrated so as to strike approaching pedestrians or motorists in the eyes but will be diffused or refracted in various directions instead of passing upward at an offensive angle. The light will, therefore, appear to be dimmed but will possess sufficient brilliancy to properly illuminate the road in order that the occupant of the vehicle equipped with the improved headlight may readily notice any obstructions in his path. In carrying out the invention as illustrated, I secure upon the lower portion of the reflector an arcuate strip or plate 7 which is shaped to fit closely to the surface of the reflector and may be secured in place in any convenient manner, as by a screw or bolt, indicated at 8. This metal plate '7 is, of course, pressed into such segmental form as will conform to the curvature of the reflector, and its outer surface is coated with some good cement or equally strong adhesive upon which are deposited fine pieces of glass, shown at 9. These very fine particles or chips of glass will be sufficiently bright to serve as a reflector, but they are irregular in form and, therefore, will refract the rays of light in various directions so that the beam passing from the lower portion of the headlight will be diffused over the roadway and will not be reflected upwardly with blinding glaring effects. If the light-diffusing member be viewed from the front while the headlight is not illuminated, it will have a dullappearance, but the irregular tiny pieces of glass held thereon will very effectually refract and reflect the light with the desired dimming effect. It will, of course, be understood that the more irregular the outlines of the several pieces of glass, the greater the refracting power and resulting diffusion and subduing of the light will be. It is also to be understood that the refracting surfaces may be provided directly upon the lower portion of the reflector, and in applying the invention to new headlights it will be so applied, dispensing with the plate '7 In order to obtain the full benefit of the invention, I may provide the lamp 6 with a ground surface 10 on its under side, which surface will prevent rays passing directly from the lamp to the reflector of the headlight and, therefore, will coact to eliminate the glare, but it is not necessary that the lamp be so treated. The light-diffusing device provided by me is very easily made and installed and will not add to the weight of the headlight nor add appreciably to the cost of the same, and, when applied, it will not detract from the appearance of the headlight or of the car on which it is installed.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

The combination with an automobile headlight including a reflector, lens and incandescent lamp bulb, of a segmental plate secured to and extending entirely across the inner face of the reflector beneath the lamp bulb and having its upper edge at the center thereof concave and disposed concentric with the lamp bulb and spaced downwardly therefrom an appreciable distance to expose the reflector surface immediately below the lamp bulb, the upper surface of the plate being covered with minute irregular pieces of glass, said segmental plate having its upper edge on opposite sides of the concave portion disposed entirely beneath a horizontal line touching the lower surface of the lamp bulb and inclined downwardly in opposite directions from said concave portion to the outer edge of the headlight, said segmental plate being opaque whereby to prevent the penetration of light rays therethrough and to cause the irregular pieces of glass to refract the rays of light from the bulb in various directions and dilfuse the same over a roadway.

ALEXANDER TOUCHMAN. [1..s.] 

